I've been promoting Project Appleseed on the Outdoor Trader, a local gun forum. Part of what I've started to do is to contact members who have signed up for a shoot, and ask them to post a review. I'm hoping that the reviews will help get people to the line who might think of Appleseed as a program for kids and beginners.
I'll post links and the reviews here as they come in.
http://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/threads/767181-My-Appleseed-Experience-Rising-Fawn-GA-Sep-13-14
My son (who is 20) and I participated in the Appleseed event in Rising Fawn this past weekend and Freedom asked if I would post a review of my experience from an adult perspective.
I have never considered myself a good shooter. In fact, I have been to the range several times and became frustrated with my lack of skills. Most of the time I was just wasting ammo.
I found a post on one of the forums about Appleseed (I can't remember if it was ODT or the Ruger 10/22 forum), but upon researching the website, I knew I had to give it a try. My son still lives at home but is always busy, so I offered to pay for him to go as well so we could spend some rare quality time together.
We went with a lot of anticipation, but also a bit of apprehension. I never know what to expect when I attend any kind of training class (gun related or not), but it didn't take long to become acquainted and get comfortable with everyone involved. We even got to witness the promotion of Nathan "Spartan" Hurst to Designated Shoot Boss!
I learned a considerable amount, not the least of which was the history behind the program and some little known facts about the Revolutionary War. We've all heard of Paul Revere's ride and the Boston Tea Party, but who ever learned in school that Paul Revere was captured and there were several "tea parties" in other locations besides Boston.
From a shooter's perspective, I learned that I didn't know anything about shooting a rifle. I thought a sling was for carrying the rifle on your shoulder! I found out that you can use the sling to steady your rifle, how to find your NOPA (natural point of aim), all about the respiratory pause, and the correct steady positions.
I have one of those minds that can switch from thought to thought in a second (maybe I'm ADHD, I don't know), so I also learned that settling in and focusing on the target and task is as important (at least for me) as the mechanics and technical part of the shoot. This was my "aha" moment of the weekend.
My review would not be complete without mentioning how great the shoot boss and all of the instructors were over the course of the weekend. They never failed to keep everyone positive and point out our improvements as well as our areas of opportunity. They were also kind enough to loan out equipment as needed. My rifle malfunctioned and one of the instructors loaned me his for the balance of the shoot. It was a lifesaver!
Since it was my first event, I really can't think of anything I would change. I would encourage anyone (adult, young person, experienced or inexperienced) interested in shooting to attend.
Thanks for sharing! I've added the link to the "outside sources" thread which can be found here: http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=39534.30
Keep up the great work!
-S3
Thanks for doing that Freedom. It's a good way to get more on the line.
Good work, Freedom. We had a shooter at Dublin this weekend that mentioned the ODT forum, specifically.
http://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/threads/744316-Dublin-Appleseed-Shoot-20-21-Sep-2014?p=3904163#post3904163
What a great time. A couple of buddies from work and I made the hike from ATL down to Dublin. The instructors were very professional, very approachable, and just generally good people. I read up wherever I could find in preparation, but still wasn't quite sure what to expect. I went in very ready to learn, and soaked as much up as I could. 12 students, two full instructors and one in training. The thought of marksmanship as America's martial art really struck me. First day is lots of great instruction and goes pretty darn fast. The second day is more time on the line, drills, and a really strong but rather quick discussion on taking the info learned at 25m/yds out to 400 and beyond. The stories/quotes from the founding of our country gave me goosebumps a few times, even though it was hotter than heck.
I will definitely be hitting the next event up this way.
Thanks, Free!
http://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/threads/792048-My-Appleseed-Experience
A review from Shemp, about his experience at Roswell.
Thanks
Yeah thanks for the cross-posting. It increases exposure for both boards and of course provides valuable feedback. I'm glad Shemp enjoyed himself and it sounds like he'll be back. :)
Free,
Thank you for posting this review, for sharing the link to the review posted on Outdoor Trader, after the Roswell event, for your tireless promotional efforts, and especially for taking an Appleseed Orange Hat and joining the instructor ranks. You did a fine job last weekend at Macon, for your first teaching experience, and got a promotion to boot! Well done, sir!